Never Let Me Know
by M-and-Em's
Summary: Mika Hayashi, the fourth member of Team 7, has been a witness to everything that has occurred between her team mates and her village. But when she loses her memories during the destruction of Konoha, and is taken into enemy hands for reasons she doesn't know, she is forced to reconsider everything she once protected, everything she once knew, and everyone she once trusted.
1. Preface

_Notes: _

_I don't own Naruto or any characters associated with it. I only take credit for the characters I've created and the story line :)_

_This is my first attempt at an original story so I hope you enjoy!_

**Never Let Me Know: Preface**

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><p>They say you never truly reflect upon your life and your actions with an unbiased eye until you are taking your last breaths and standing between the realm of the living and the dead. It was now in my hour of need, as I stand hear bloody and broken that I truly begin to see the truth behind that simple idea. The simple idea I had turned a blind eye to for all these years.<p>

_What had just happened? _

The question I had no courage to ask out loud echoed heavily in my thoughts as I stood firmly where I was, paralyzed with absolute shock and pain. Everything in my body felt numb, everything in me felt heavy, and if it hadn't been for a steady trail of blood cutting trails through my pale skin I would have assumed I was already dead. But I was far from it. Or at least I thought I was.

I couldn't remember how I got in this situation, the last thing I remembered was watching a fatal blow being dealt to someone I held very dear to myself. What came next I couldn't explain, because by the time I had realized what had happened it was already too late and I was standing in the way of that person I tried so desperately to protect and the fateful blow that was being dealt to them. At that moment and time all I could see was red. Crimson blood flowing freely down my skin and blood red splatters adorning the dusty rubble of what I assumed were buildings strewn around us. There was an almost choked sound from the person behind me and a whisper of my name. I instinctively turned towards the sound to offer a reassuring smile and nod but stopped halfway.

_Everything…hurt...Where was I?_

From beyond my blurred vision I could see the place I called home crumbling to pieces right in front of me, and I could hear the desperate and pained cries of men, women, and children alike piercing the air around me. It was total chaos; it was a war zone, and no matter how desperately I tried to put together the pieces of what I saw I just couldn't. I couldn't remember or see anyone clearly. The only thing I could do was _feel. _Feel the anger and betrayal coursing through my veins and the hand retracting itself from my chest.

When the hand left my body it felt as if I had lost all the support keeping me up. Almost on cue my legs gave out and I fell harshly on the cold, rocky concrete, my black hair splaying all across my face and the pool of blood I was laying on top of. The heaviness I felt earlier rushed through my veins at an alarming rate and it was at that moment that I just knew that I wouldn't be awake much longer. A pang of fear ran through me at the thought as it slowly dawned on me;

_I was dying. _

And I had no idea where I was, what was happening to me, who I was protecting, who was screaming, and more importantly…who was responsible for ending my life. A strange way to die, isn't it?

Memories of the life I lived began playing themselves across my closing eyelids and with my last labored breath I sent a thought to everyone I knew, reassuring them that everything would be okay. I just hoped it'd reach them. With the last remaining bits of consciousness I had left I heard another blood curling scream from a girl and an angry male voice speaking words I to this day still remember.

"_Just how low are you going to sink?-!"_

Before I could hear the name of the person the question was directed towards I had already sunken into the calming darkness that was awaiting me.

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><p><strong>AN: So how was this for a preface? ;) I apologize for such a short entry but I'm just getting into the swing of this whole fan-fiction thing. I _promise _all chapters coming after this one will be a bit longer. Until then feel free to leave any reviews or comments :) It would really mean a lot to me! 3 I'll be back with an update in a few days. **

**- Emi-kun17**


	2. Chapter 1

_Notes: _

_I don't own Naruto or any characters associated with it. All credit goes to the respective owner_

_I know I said I would update in a few days but I've been writing so much of this story I just had to post at least one full chapter for you all to read. Enjoy! :)_

**Never Let Me Know: Chapter 1**

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><p>Even before I opened my eyes I could tell something was different. It was silent, deathly so. Silent enough for me to hear the gentle sounds of rain pattering along the ground in a steady almost rythmatic beat. Nothing was touching my skin; no raindrops, no gravel, no fallen leaves, there was just a cool chill blanketing my body. For a brief moment I remained absolutely still, trying to gain some semblance as to where I was, but when all I was met with was tense silence and the quiet sounds of my own breathing a small part of me, the human part I suppose, began to question what was going on. Behind my closed lids I could see nothing, no sunlight or anything to indicate where I was. Just pitch black darkness.<p>

My forehead wrinkled in worry as I tried desperately to remember what had happened to me. I needed something. _Anything! _But all I could see in my mind were hazy fragmented thoughts; thoughts that were incomprehensible and had no real meaning to me.

_Just how low can you sink! _

The words shot through my body like an electric current, and without my permission a sudden wave of blood curling screams filled my ears. Images of destruction, fire, and blood flickered in my head at an almost alarming rate and just as I was about to open my eyes to see it for myself it disappeared as quickly as it came. Leaving me in the lonely silence I was blanketed in just seconds before.

By this point my whole body was shaking and my breathing was coming out in quick almost desperate gasps. But despite that my eyes remained tightly shut as the horrible realization hit me like a tidal wave.

_All that blood I saw…All those people screaming…Those angry words…I saw them all just before I-_

Before the thought could even escape me I felt my teeth sink deeply into my bottom lip, and just like I hoped it would the sharp pain stopped my train of thought in its tracks. Here I was again, assuming the worst. But this wasn't surprising, I was always a cautious and pessimistic person by nature who looked at the glass half empty. But at this particular moment and this particular time my brain wanted nothing more than to break away from my usually bleak personality and outlook. My heart was begging me to look at the glass half full and assume the very best situation I could, but even I could feel the calm façade I struggled to keep up quickly slipping away.

_I was…dead._

No…I couldn't be. I had so much I wanted to do, I had so much I wanted to see and achieve. I just couldn't _remember. _I couldn't remember _anything. _But something in my body, some stupid lingering feeling I can't even begin to describe told me that I hadn't finished all I was supposed to. But how could I want to do anything, to achieve anything, if I couldn't even recall basic facts about myself or what had happened to me?

That's right. I couldn't.

Every fiber of my being was screaming for me to open my eyes and explore this new place I was in because regardless of what I wanted to do I couldn't delude myself forever. But fear being the terrible thing it is had me anchored in place and my body stiff and unmoving. This place I was in…it didn't seem familiar. It didn't seem warm and inviting. And it was because of this simple fact I believed that if I was in fact dead, this wasn't heaven. It was far too ominous.

Almost on cue, there was a sharp movement from somewhere beside me, and I realized that this couldn't be my imagination anymore. Something wasn't right. Someone was here. And as my ears picked up on the sound of footsteps slowly approaching me, I slowly began to realize that I was in real trouble. Oh Kami, could my day get any worse?

"Well look what we have here. She's finally awake!"

My body tensed at the deep almost cocky sounding voice. Even without looking directly at the person I could tell that they had an unpleasant and condescending aura. An aura I despised. There was a small chuckle coming from my other side, prompting me to focus all my energy on detecting chakra signatures. That was the only way I could really" see" without opening my eyes. After a few moments of tense concentration I finally began to pick up on something. The energy I assumed was chakra felt unfamiliar, dark, and powerful. And to my surprise it wasn't just one signature I picked up on, but multiple ones. And they were all standing around me…encircling me.

_Shit. Well on the bright side I guess I'm still alive?_

"Neh, look at her she's shaking," another voice chimed in with a small scoff. "You have nothing to be afraid of," a third voice. This one was lined with what I assumed was fake tenderness. "Open your eyes."

Despite the stranger's reassurances my trembling continued and progressively got worse in the coming seconds. I wasn't usually this afraid of anything, but this situation coupled with all the recent events I've experienced were finally beginning to take a toll on me. I didn't know why but I wanted nothing more than to hide and shrink away from whoever these people were. But there was no way I could escape. There wasn't much I could even do. I was outnumbered, possibly out smarted, and at a complete disadvantage. But even those odds couldn't stop me from at least devising some sort of plan in my head. A plan I probably wouldn't act on, but a plan none the less.

"I'll give you till the count of three," the voice above me continued gently. "Then I expect to see that pretty face of yours looking at me. Alright?"

I gave no answer. No indication that I had even acknowledged what he had just said. But he didn't seem to really care. He had already begun his countdown. "Three…"

Should I listen to his instructions? _It's not like you can really keep your eyes closed forever._

"Two…" He told me there was nothing to be afraid of. They couldn't hurt me for no reason right? _People lie._

"One…" _I'm…I'm scared._

Darkness; that was all I saw. And for a brief moment I began questioning if I had even opened my eyes in the first place. But after a few seconds had passed, my eyes readjusted to them dim light and I began looking around myself trying to locate any outstanding markers I could use to identify where I was. My eyes desperately raked around the whole space but found nothing. All I saw were the four stone walls surrounding me, the dirt ground I was sitting on, and the handful of lanterns lacing the walls.

"You actually listened. Good girl," at the sound of that voice I acted instinctually; bringing my hands up towards my chest in defense while turning my head towards the direction of the sound. There was an odd resistance on my arms and as I looked down I noticed for the first time the shackles surrounding both of my wrists and the small chain that connected them to the wall. _What the hell was this? _I yanked one of my arms forward as hard as I could but was stopped halfway because of the restraints and the feel of the cold, course metal scratching the skin on my wrists. My eyes fell upon the vague outline of the person in front of me and I clenched my jaw, my eyes burning with unrestrained anger. What purpose did they see in chaining me up and restraining me to the wall like some kind of animal?

"Well look at you!" The voice I identified as the cocky and arrogant one chimed in. "Who do you think you are looking at _me_ like that?"

My eyes narrowed. Yeah, I definitely wasn't going to like this guy. "You should know, after all you're the one who has me chained up to a wall like some kind of dog," my teeth came down on my tongue but I continued on defiantly. "You must know something I don't."

It was deathly silent for a couple of moments before I saw a faint gleam slice through the air. There was a harsh metallic thud on the stone wall mere centimeters away from my head, and before I could even turn around to see what it was the man was suddenly kneeling down in front of me; his large hand wrapped tightly around my neck. I let out a painful gasp at the contact but held completely still, hoping that my passive movements wouldn't prompt him to tighten his grip further. Now wasn't the best time to put up a fight, not when I was restrained and unable to fully protect myself. But internally my blood was boiling.

Without a word being spoken I saw him reach his other hand across my body so he could pull out whatever he threw at me from the wall. It came out effortlessly, and I quickly identified it as a kunai just before he brought it down towards the upper part of my neck. I cringed as I felt the very edges of the blade press down softly on my skin, barely breaking the first layer. We stayed paralyzed in this position for what seemed like an eternity before I heard his cold voice pierce the air again.

"You know," he began. "I'm not like any of those weak village boys you're used to messing around with. _You _of all people don't scare me." I looked up at his face and saw a sly smirk make its way to his lips. "And if you want me to lobby for you to stay alive for a little longer than a few hours you better start treating me with some respect." The fingers around my neck tightened. "Or I'll just kill you myself."

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><p><strong>AN: And...CLIFFHANGER! See, I told you the chapters would be longer from now on :) Just where is Mika and who are these strange people who kidnapped her? What purpose does she serve them? All these questions will (hopefully) be answered in the next chapter. Please rate, follow, leave reviews or something :P I'm not sure how you guys feel about the story so it'd be helpful to hear _some_ feed back. Chapter 2 will come out soon so stay tuned! :)**

**- Emi-kun17**


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